SOLSC, March 12, 2017

The wind has been something else these past few months. We always have wind in March and April, a few days here and there where the winds blow all day. But we have had unbelievably windy days here and there for months now. Today was just one of too many.

It isn’t just any wind. It barrels down the canyon such that you hear it coming before you feel it. At night, we hear it coming, brace ourselves and then feel the house shake. It is the worst at night as our bedroom is upstairs. The windows shutter, the deck chairs slide and we wonder just when a tree will be blown over onto our bedroom. It is hard to sleep through. Not to mention that the dog gets worried and ends up in bed with us, restless and snuggling a little too close.

In the mornings, there has been added carnage with each wind, new branches down in the middle of the street, one shattering the front windshield of a nearby car. At recess we are worried the smaller children with be blown away. We have had to store our patio cushions away for fear of them ending up in Kansas.

Today I joined a friend for a long walk with the dogs. We braved the wind, the wicked wind with gust of up to 45mph. We passed two road bikers heading out who had been blown, literally blown, off the road into the weeds. We are pretty sure they turned around and walked home. We had to stop from time to time to turn our backs and hold our ground, but we stuck it out for a needed walk. The three dogs didn’t seem to really notice the wind, even as we were getting hit from the spray of the white caps when we crossed behind the pond.

Normally, I get pretty uptight in the wind. I have been on mountain tops in gale forces winds crying and yelling for it to stop, nerves frazzled for days afterwards. But today I managed quite well. I think it was the company of a really, really good friend.